Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

Juul Weighing The Pros And Cons Of Digging In Heels Over Mint, Menthol Flavors

When Juul stopped selling fruit flavors like mango in retail stores last year, Kevin Burns, the company’s chief executive, said he wanted to keep mint and menthol varieties on the market, because they mirrored the tastes of traditional cigarettes. As the Trump administration steps up its efforts to ban flavored vaping products, Juul is trying to decide how hard to fight for those two flavors. Meanwhile, health officials have revised their methods on counting the number of lung illnesses that are part of the nationwide outbreak.

The Wall Street Journal:
Juul Debates Pushing Back On E-Cigarette Ban
Juul Labs Inc. is debating internally whether to embrace or push back on part of the Trump administration’s plan to pull most e-cigarettes from the market, according to people familiar with the matter. The policy—affecting sweet and fruity vaping products along with mint and menthol—would be a crippling hit to the startup, which generates more than 80% of its sales from flavors that would be banned. But Juul insiders agree that the move could help curb underage vaping and avert an even bigger threat to the market-leading e-cigarette maker: the possibility that the Food and Drug Administration could take Juul off the market altogether. (Maloney, 9/12)

The New York Times:
A Ban On Flavored E-Cigarettes Would Sharply Cut Sales
A ban on flavored e-cigarettes would not only severely dent sales of Juul Labs’ popular vaping products, but also have a chilling effect on the little regulated $2.6 billion industry of roughly 20,000 vape and smoke shops that sprung up across the country in the past few years. But a day after Alex M. Azar II, the health and human services secretary, said the Food and Drug Administration would draft a plan within weeks that would remove flavored e-cigarettes and nicotine pods from the market, there were already signs that some companies were considering legal challenges or lobbying efforts to keep two flavors safe — mint and menthol. (Creswell and Kaplan, 9/12)

The Hill:
Juul's Lobbying Efforts Fall Short As Trump Moves To Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes
The company spent $1.95 million on lobbying in the first two quarters of 2019, surpassing last year's total of $1.64 million. “It shows you that just spending money on lobbying doesn’t create magic results. This is an un-exact science when it comes to lobbying and Juul has found that out. Anything can happen at any time no matter how many resources you put into lobbying,” said David Williams, president of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance. (Gangitano, 9/12)

The Associated Press:
US Officials Revise Vaping Illness Count To 380 In 36 States
The U.S. government has refined how it is measuring an outbreak of breathing illnesses in people who vape, now counting only cases that are most closely linked to electronic cigarette use. Health officials on Thursday said 380 confirmed cases and probable cases have been reported in 36 states and one U.S. territory. That marks a decrease from the 450 cited last week, when officials were also including "possible" cases. (9/12)

Reuters:
U.S. Cuts Vaping-Related Illness Total Under Refined Case Definition
Six people have died from vaping-related illness, a number that remains unchanged, the CDC said. The deaths were reported in California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, and Oregon. As of Sept. 11, an additional three states have reported cases of the severe lung illness linked to vaping, raising the total to 36 states plus the U.S. Virgin Islands, the agency said. (9/12)

The Wall Street Journal:
Vaping-Related Lung Ailments Puzzle Doctors
The Food and Drug Administration has received more than 120 product samples linked to vaping illness for analysis. Many of the samples tested so far have contained tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, a chemical in marijuana known for its psychoactive effects, rather than nicotine. Most samples with THC also contained added vitamin E acetate, an oil sometimes found in dietary supplements and skin products, the agency said. But no one product or device has been associated with all of the cases, according to the CDC and the FDA. (Abbott, 9/12)

Reuters:
New Jersey Expected To Announce Vaping Restrictions Within Weeks
Within weeks, New Jersey could become the latest state to restrict e-cigarette use, with the governor on Thursday launching a task force to find ways to curb vaping, linked by U.S. health officials to hundreds of respiratory illnesses and a half-dozen deaths. "As of this moment, there is no safe vape," Governor Phil Murphy said at a media briefing, adding he was concerned about both teen use and the recent illnesses. "The only safe alternative to smoking is not smoking." (9/12)

The Associated Press:
Oregon Pot Retailers Begin Pulling Vape Brands In Lung Scare
Oregon marijuana retailers on Thursday began removing vaping products from their shelves and offering returns on previously purchased vape pens amid a nationwide scare over severe lung illnesses and deaths tied to electronic cigarettes. The move came after the agency that regulates Oregon's cannabis industry told The Associated Press on Wednesday that it will soon begin asking retailers to voluntarily review their vaping offerings and pull those that spark concern. (9/12)

St. Louis Post Dispatch:
Nine Suspected Vaping-Related Illnesses In Missouri, Two Hospitalized At Children's Hospital
Two cases of lung illness associated with the use of e-cigarettes have been reported in Missouri over the past two weeks, and seven more possible cases are under investigation, state health departmentofficials said in a news release Thursday. The state could not provide any more information about the individuals and severity of their cases, but St. Louis Children’s Hospital has confirmed that the pediatric hospital is caring for two patients with possible illnesses related to vaping. (Munz, 9/13)

Kaiser Health News:
Vapers Seek Relief From Nicotine Addiction In — Wait For It — Cigarettes
Lucas McClain started smoking cigarettes in high school but switched to vaping after he heard e-cigarettes were a safer alternative. His vape of choice became the Juul, the king of electronic cigarettes — which comes with a king-size nicotine hit.Now 21, McClain wants to quit so badly that he’s turning back to the problem he fled in the first place: good old-fashioned cigarettes. (Ibarra, 9/13)

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